Saturday, 2 January 2016

Philly-born virtuoso
ALPHONSO JOHNSON was only 23 when he replaced Weather Report’s Miroslav Vituos
on Bass in early 1974 and was soon after to also play with Fusion Giants George
Duke and Stanley Clarke on their solo projects. By the time he got to 1976 -
and with a little help from Weather Report stalwarts like Joe Zawinul and Wayne
Shorter (Zawinul once described Johnson as "...disciplined…could lay down
a groove that hurt…") – Columbia Records gave him a shot and he promptly
popped out three Funk-Fusion LPs on their Epic Records imprint –
"Moonshadows" and "Yesterday's Dreams" (both from 1976) and
"Spellbound" (from 1977). The hugely revered first two were never
issued in the UK (the 3rd was) and have been elusive on CD for decades. And
that's where this gorgeous-sounding Beat Goes On 2CD Remaster comes in. Here
are the funk-that-hurts details…

UK released 27 November 2015
(December 2015 in the USA) – "Moonshadows/Yesterday's
Dreams/Spellbound" by ALPHONSO JOHNSON on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1220 (Barcode
5017261212207) offers 3LPs on 2CDs and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (40:48 minutes):

1. Slump

2. Involuntary Bliss

3. Cosmoba Place

4. Pandora's Box

5. Up From The Cellar [Side
2]

6. Amarteifio

7. On The Case

8. Unto Thine Own Self Be
True

Tracks 1 to 8 are his debut
album "Moonshadows" – released 1976 in the USA on Epic Records PE
34118 (no UK release)

FLORA PURIM – Backing Vocals
on "Involuntary Bliss", "Up From The Cellar" and "Upon
Thine Own Self Be True" with Lead Vocals on "Amarteifio"

BENNIE MAUPIN – Reeds

ALEJANDRO ACUNA and AIRTO
MOREIRA – Percussion

NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN –
Drums & Keyboards

NDUGU LEON CHANCLER – Drums

Disc 2 (71:34 minutes):

1. Love's The Way I Feel
'Bout Cha

2. As Little As You

3. Scapegoat

4. Show Us The Way

5. Balls To The Wall [Side
2]

6. Tales Of Barcelona

7. Flight To Hampstead Heath

8. One To One

Tracks 1 to 8 are his second
album "Yesterday's Dreams" – released 1976 in the USA on Epic PE
34364 (no UK release)

Players included:

ALPHONSO JOHNSON – Basses,
Electric Stick, Acoustic Guitar and Vocals

FLORA PURIM, JON LUCIEN,
PHILIP BAILEY & DIANNE REEVES - Vocals

RAY GOMEZ and LEE RITENOUR –
Electric & Acoustic Guitars

PATRICE RUSHEN – Keyboards

MARK JORDAN and DAVID FOSTER
– Keyboards

IAN UNDERWOOD – Synths

SHEILA ESCOVEDO – Congas
& Percussion

RUTH UNDERWOOD - Harpophone,
Orchestra Bells, Marimbas & Vibraphone

GROVER WASHINGTON, JR.,
ERNIE WATTS & ERNIE FIELDS – Saxophones

CHUCK FINDLEY and GARY GRANT
– Trumpets

GEORGE BOHANON and GARNETT
BROWN – Trombones

CHESTER THOMPSON and MICK
CLARK – Drums

9. Summer Solstice (First
Movement)

10. Follow Your Heart

11. Bahama Mama

12. Nomads

13. Moonlight Conversations

14. Face Blaster [Side 2]

15. Feelings Are… (The
Hardest Words To Say)

16. Earthtales Suite: Intro
– Winter Solstice

I - Release From Bondage

II – Why

III – Voice Of Authority

IV Rushing Of The Wind

V – Sword And The Scepter

VI – Summer Solstice (Second
Movement)

Tracks 9 to 16 are this
third album "Spellbound" – released 1977 in the USA on Epic Records
JE 34869 and in the UK on Epic S EPC 82197

The outer card slipcase
lends the release a classy feel, the 24-page booklet is packed with
album-by-album credits and new liner notes from noted writer CHARLES WARING – a
regular contributor to Mojo and Record Collector. ANDREW THOMPSON has carried
out the new 2015 Remasters licensed from Sony and the Audio here is stupendous
– beautifully clear and reflecting the original top-class production values of
Skip Drinkwater (Johnson did the 3rd set himself).

As you can see from the
'Players' lists given above – the guest names of talent featured for each
record is astonishing – a virtual who's who of Jazz Funk talent with Johnson
providing the Funky Bass backdrop. And they’re not just window-dressing either.
The debut album opens with "Strump" and "Involuntary Bliss"
– Funk workouts on a Jazz-tip that feel amazingly 'now' rather than 1976.
Entering the territory of sublime Jazz/Soul/Fusion is the gorgeous
sea-and-gulls ballad "Amarteifio" – the only song on the album with
lyrics that Flora Purim slays in her path with her Soulful swoops and phrasing
(lyrics reproduced in the booklet). It's a true highlight on a great album. It
gets seriously funky with the bass-led "On The Case" where Johnson
goes all slap stick wild in the first passage followed by Lee Ritenour letting
rip on his axe for the second part (wonderful playing). It ends on a piece of
joyous fusion that’s so Narada Michael Walden – Flora singing the title as a
backing refrain while Dawilli Gonga plays a blinder on various keyboards.

Wisely trying for a more
commercial angle - the number of vocalists increased for album number two
"Yesterday's Dream" – released at the end of 1976. "Love's The
Way I Feel 'Bout Cha" might as well be Con Funk Shun with Dianne Reeves
and Philip Bailey on Vocals (lyrics in the booklet). Keyboard genius Patrice
Rushen fills up both "As Little as You" and "Scapegoat"
with her skills - while Grover Washington Jr. plays his horn. Jon Lucien adds
his deep voice to "Show Us The Way" as Ritenour skilfully plucks the
Acoustic Guitar. But my fave on here is the beautiful instrumental "Flight
To Hampstead Heath" – a mid-tempo builder that feels more Prog Jazz than
Fusion.

Prog dominates the opening
"Summer Solstice (First Movement)" and for that matter much of the
"Spellbound” album - sounding more like Jon Anderson has gone Jazz (but
not in a good way). Guitarist Pat Thrall provides the Guitar Solos for "Follow
Your Heart", "Bahama Mama", "Face Blaster" and
"Feelings Are…" But it was a big mistake to forego the various
quality vocalists that made the first two albums so good for his larynx on
album number three. Johnson's voice is decidedly ordinary compared to what went
before – and this is never more evident than on "Nomads" – a nice
tune rendered impotent by his flat delivery. The short but pretty instrumental
"Moonlight Conversations" features lovely playing from the other
featured guitarist on the album – Kevin Shireve. It ends on the near
nine-minute "Earthtales Suite" – a complicated but ultimately boring
piece that unfortunately sums up the whole LP – virtuosity without any heart or
tunes…

Jazz Fusion and Funk fans
will love the first two albums – especially as neither received a UK release –
but that third record rather lets the side down. Still – with its superb
presentation and gorgeous Audio quality – this is a must buy for fans…and so
good to see Johnson be given some well-deserved limelight at last...

SOME OF MY E-BOOKS FOR SALE on AMAZON

About Me

To date I've over 3500 posts/reviews and 80+ Listmania Lists on Amazon UK - most are for quality music CD REMASTERS and FILMS on BLU RAY.

I'm a Top 15 Reviewer on Amazon UK and have been a 'Hall Of Fame' Reviewer for some years now...

They feature recommendations from years of trawling through digipaks and flicks. I tend to highlight reissues and remasters that have slipped through the net and movies on DVD and BLU RAY that deserve your attention/reappraisal.

My music reviews are in-depth - focusing on decent remasters - interesting imports - rarities - info that helps a purchase decision etc. And I often provide a Discography for Box Sets and multiples and detailed track lists for reissues.

Loved the awesome re-issues of Steve McQueen by PREFAB SPROUT and Strangers Almanac by WHISKEYTOWN [with Ryan Adams]. The three definitive Bear Family Series - Street Corner Symphonies (1934 to 1958 Vocal Groups), Blowing The Fuse (1945 to 1960 R'n'B - most reviewed) and Sweet Soul Music (1961 to 1975 - all 15 reviewed).

Check out the beautiful Scottish Folk of Black Water by KRIS DREVER (2006) and the Sahara rocking beat of TINARIWEN'S Aman Iman - Water Is Life. 2011 saw Jethro Tull's Aqualung receive a stunning makeover by Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree and 2012 has Just As I Am by Bill Withers be given a top remaster by Big Break Records of the UK. Loving the 2013 Japanese SHM-CD reissues of J.J. Cale and the 2012 to 2015 Japan-Only Atlantic 1000: Best R&B Collection (see Joe Turner reviews). Small Faces Here Come The Nice and The Blue Nile's Hats & Peace At Last Deluxe Editions for 2014. Digging Edsel's 4CD Box Sets For The Beat and The Sound - superb. Edsel's Wilson Pickett and Percy Sledge CD Reissues from late 2016 are also superb.

Films - The Help, Lincoln, The Bands Visit, Man On A Ledge, The Grey, Mr. Nobody, Third Star, Caramel, Easy-A, Crash, United 93, The Insider, Death To Smoochy, Babel, Kinsey, Bright Star, Stranger Than Fiction, Imagine Me & You, The Namesake, After The Wedding, Seraphim Falls, Michael Clayton, Frankie Go Boom, Infamous, Gran Torino, The Blind Side, Invictus, Crazy Heart, Ondine, Amelie, Four Lions, Young Victoria, Untouchable, Jo Nesbo's Headhunters and The Secret In Their Eyes are what's most impressed in the last while. The Shawshank Redemption is for me the greatest film ever made, Cinema Paradiso the most beautiful and Nil By Mouth the most powerful.

I've also raved about gorgeous new restorations of The Italian Job, Goldfinger, African Queen, Back To The Future, O Brother Where Art Thou?, North By Northwest, To Catch A Thief, To Kill A Mockingbird and The Sting on Blu Ray - can't recommend these enough.

I'm Irish (originally from Dublin) and married with 3 grown-up kids - one of which has autism (The Beautiful Dean).

I was a vinyl rarities buyer and put-upon expert in Reckless Records (Soho, London) for over 20 years and have contributed to many of the Record Collector Rare Record Price Guides.

Currently freelance writer/reviewer. Have written four screenplays - "The Cloths Of Heaven", "Silas", "An English Lady - The Eglantyne Jebb Story" and "Full Of Grace" which I'll discuss with Film Industry Insiders.